As the snow from the winter storm begins to blanket the state, NCDOT crews are responding, trying to clear roads and bridges as quickly and efficiently as possible to ensure motorist safety.

They follow a pre-established order when removing snow and ice. They begin with interstate and four-lane divided primary routes, as well as some primary and secondary routes considered essential to the movement of intrastate traffic. These roads get the highest priority, because they carry the largest number of vehicles and serve as critical connections between cities and towns. Next, crews clear U.S. and N.C. routes and paved secondary routes not already addressed. Then, they handle unpaved secondary routes.

For the latest road and weather updates, visit NCDOTís travel webpage, follow them on Twitter, "like" them on Facebook, call 511 or use NCDOT Mobile by typing "m.ncdot.gov" into your smartphone browser.